Re: What's an annex? stratum?

Jim Blandy
2007-06-25T21:52:08Z

Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org> writes:
>> Cc: Stan Shebs <stanshebs@earthlink.net>, gdb@sources.redhat.com
>> From: Jim Blandy <jimb@codesourcery.com>
>> Date: Mon, 25 Jun 2007 12:10:36 -0700
>>
>> Well, let me try again to say what I meant: if you're new to GDB, you
>> should not start by reading gdbint.texinfo. Instead, start by reading
>> and grepping, and then experiment by debugging GDB with itself.
>
> That may be the only practical way today, but IMO it's a terribly
> inefficient way. GDB's sources is a hodgepodge of many disparate and
> not always related parts: different target-specific back-ends that
> have no relation whatsoever, semi-obsolete APIs used by a couple of
> rotting targets, features relevant only to remote debugging that are
> not clearly separated from the native pieces, etc. For the
> uninitiated, finding one's way in all this maze of twisted little
> passages all alike, without some minimal guidance, is a very hard job,
> to say the least.

This is all true.

>> I'm even a little skeptical about the value of internals documentation
>> at all.
>
> I cannot disagree more. A well written, well indexed internal
> documentation can be a real help in studying an unfamiliar program of
> GDB's complexity.

Well, if GCC's internals documentation is as good as they say, I could
be wrong.